As You Are

CHAPTER TWO

Taking a Chance

He looked at me in confusion at first, and soon his eyes widened in recognition. Then he slowly smiled and time stood still. He was so gorgeous at that moment and I stood frozen on the spot. He put the envelope on the desk and took the few steps towards me. I wanted to back away from him in fear that he might hear my loud thumping heart but he was soon standing just inches away from me. He was so close I could feel his warmth and breath and I shivered.

"This is a good surprise." He said with unconcealed joy.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either." I replied in shock. I was about to say something else when he cupped my face with his hand. It was as if he was trying to convince himself I was really there. I melted in his hands.

"Yeah, it's amazing. How did you know I was here?" He asked. I tried to say something but I lost my words as he lightly stroked my cheek. He felt so warm and soft I closed my eyes and enjoyed the touch. I took a few deep quick breaths and spoke.

"Mr. Thorne is my boss and he sent me on a late errand for a client of his." As I said it dawned on me.

"You own the club?" I asked, still enjoying the feel of his warm hand. He chuckled a bit at my statement and studied me for a second. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. I was burning with embarrassment and I knew my cheeks were red. What was it with him that made me feel this way? He let his hand fall from my face but didn't move away. I missed his touch already.

"Yes I do. I would have told you the other night when you ran out on me." He replied and looked closely at me. I'm pretty sure I was beet red with embarrassment by now.

"So do I finally get a name out of you with us meeting again and all?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Shaun." I replied too quickly for my liking. God, I felt so silly. It was his fault! He was making me nervous.

"Well, Shaun, it's nice to meet you again." He said. "If I had known you worked for Thorne, I would have asked you out a long time ago." He whispered. I was very surprised he said that.

"Yeah right. As if I'm such a catch. Don't you think you could do better than me?" I asked. I think my question confused him a bit.

"Why wouldn't I Shaun? You're so beautiful." He replied and looked at me with a serious face. I couldn't take it anymore. This man was making me feel things I've never felt before and stole my breath. I was going to hyperventilate any second now. That's how much he affected me. I didn't even know what to say and that never happened before. Was I dreaming? I really needed to get out of there before I embarrassed myself.

"I have to get going and... leave you to your work." I said and made my way to leave. There were so many emotions going through me and distance from him felt like a good idea at that moment.

"Please stay Shaun and let's talk." He said to me in a pleading way that I turned to him.

"About what?" I asked as if I didn't understand what he meant. Man I was an idiot.

"I just want to get to know you better that's all. I think I deserve a chance at that at least." I tried to come up with some lame excuse to leave when he spoke again.

"I was about to order something to eat before you arrived. Will you join me?" He asked all the while looking hopeful and I couldn't say no. He looked sincere and I was torn. I was debating with myself about what he was saying when I realized that he had asked me to have dinner with him. Like a date. I couldn't believe it. This hot guy wanted to spend some time with me and here I was trying to find a way of turning him down. I wasn't going to let my insecurity get the better of me. I agreed and gave him a shy smile. He was grinning from ear to ear looking happy.

"I'll order something from the kitchen." He said as he moved to his desk and grabbed the phone. He spoke for a bit and hung up. I was still standing there feeling out of place when he took my hand in his and led me to the couch and we sat down.

"Don't be nervous Shaun, I won't bite." He joked and we both laughed. He was so beautiful I couldn't stop starring. He had full luscious lips and a set of matching white teeth. He was so perfect. A few minutes later, there was a single knock on the door and a big guy came in. He wore a tight black shirt with the words HEAT written in white. He carried a large paper bag with him and beer on the other. He set it on the table in front of us.

"Thanks Tazz." Michael said and the guy nodded and left. He took out two plastic containers and placed them on the table. It smelled divine. I didn't realize I was hungry until now. We had double cheese burgers and fries. It was so good I moaned at the first bite. We ate and talked for a while and I learned a lot about him. He was 28, from Long Beach and had three older siblings Lucy, Tom, Jed and one younger sister Fay. They were all married and still lived in his home town, closer to his parents.

Fay was 19 and attended the local college at home. He loved it at home but he wanted to live in the big city. I found out HEAT used to be a diner and that his grandparents gave it to him when they retired. They missed home and Michael was happy to take it from their hands. So he did a complete makeover and turned it into a club.

During the day it was a restaurant and at night it was a place to unwind and have a good time. I was so relaxed and I found myself opening up to him. I told him that I was an only child and that my parents died when I still very young. My grandmother took me in and raised me. She had passed away five years ago. I could see he felt sorry for me but didn't say anything and I appreciated it. To lighten up the mood I told him about Olive and Matt and smiled as he laughed at some of the stories I told him about us.

"I would really love to meet them sometime." He said after laughing for the hundredth time.

"I will have to think about that." I replied with a snicker. "I have to make sure their craziness isn't contagious." We both laughed at that stared at each other. Our laughter slowly died down as we still stared at each other.

"You have no idea how many sleepless nights I've had just thinking about you Shaun. I felt like an idiot for letting you leave like that. I've been going out of my mind thinking I would never see you again." He said all the while looking straight into my eyes. I was stunned at his admission. And here I was thinking I was an idiot for leaving him the way I did, but he was blaming himself for it.

"I had no idea you felt that way. I had thought you had forgotten about me already. Wouldn't blame you even you did..." he cut me off then.

"You have no idea what it is you do to me Shaun. Trust me when I tell you that you're hard to forget." He said and looked at my lips. I noticed that he had moved closer to me and his warm hands was moving against mine until it cupped my face. I could feel the heat radiating from him and he smelled so good. I was hard now and I needed his lips on mine. He was looking at me with lust and desire I knew he saw the same thing in my eyes.

Please kiss me, I begged with my mind. I wanted to taste him so badly at that moment I was going crazy. Just then his phone rang and broke the moment. He silently cursed and reached for his phone on the table. I was so hard and aching I trembled. I tried to pull myself together while he talked and decided to leave before anything happened. It was just too soon for us to get physical. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

It wasn't helping at all. Images of us naked and fucking hard on the couch and on his desk invaded my mind. Damn it! I was losing it. Visions of him on top of me and pounding into me with my legs in the air crept into my mind again and I shook my head into a headache as I tried to push the thoughts away. I must have looked crazy. I cleared my throat and looked at him as he talked. When he finished the call he seemed to be thinking and then turned to look at me.

"I'm sorry Shaun I need to attend to some business." I felt disappointed then but pretended not to let it show. I gave him a small smile and shrugged.

"It's ok, I should get going too. It's pretty late." I said and got up from the couch. He got up too and held my hand. Even the light touch from him was enough to send my whole body into overdrive.

"Can I get you a cab or..."

"It's ok I came by car." I replied.

"Let me walk you out then." He suggested. I nodded and we left. We both walked in silence but he still held onto my hand. When we got to my car he turned me to him and spoke.

"I really want to see you again Shaun. Can you give me your number so I can call you?" The thought touched me so deeply.

"Umm, yeah." I managed to say. He took out his cell and saved my numbers and gave me his in return.

"Can I call you tomorrow night? Maybe we can have dinner?" He asked. He seemed so nervous.

"Ok, that's fine." I replied. He kissed me on the lips and smiled.

"I'll call you tomorrow then." He said and opened the car door for me. I smiled back and got into my car. He stood there watching me drive off until I couldn't see him anymore. I don't know how I got home without causing any accidents because my mind definitely wasn't on the road. As soon as I closed and locked my door, I sagged against the door. I just stood there trying to wrap my brain around everything that had happened tonight.

I still couldn't believe I met Michael tonight. It seemed like a dream, felt like a dream. I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling. I wanted so badly to call Olive but it could wait until tomorrow. I quickly took out my phone and scrawled down my phone book until his name appeared. I sighed with relief and let out a shaky laugh. So it wasn't a dream. Michael was there, and he had talked to me. We had dinner and he kissed me.

I trembled at the thought and I got up from the floor and made my way to the bathroom. I decided to have a long hot shower and go to bed but as soon as the warm water touched my body I closed my eyes and Michaels face came to my mind. I got hard instantly and started to stroke myself. I was already worked up from my earlier encounter with him and it didn't take long until ropes of cum were coating the shower wall and I was screaming his name over and over again.

My orgasm hit me hard I nearly blacked out and felt so worn out. I had to drag myself to bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. The next day when Olive I met for lunch I told her everything that happened between Michael and I. She was so shocked her eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"Oh my god Shaun. This is unbelievable." She said incredulously. I smiled as she went on. "This happens and you only tell me now. What kind of a friend are you mister?" I sighed and groaned.

"I needed time to absorb everything that had happened. I mean I still couldn't believe it either." I replied and ate my salad.

"What was he like?" She asked in a whisper. I took a deep breath and thought for a while. I wish I hadn't told Olive about my encounter with Michael last night. She was vibrating with excitement it was crazy. What a drama queen she was!

"He's so amazing Olive. He's sweet and gentle, and a great listener. He laughed at my lame jokes and I like the way he looks at me, it's so hot. No one has ever looked at me like that." I confessed. Olive stared open mouthed at me and I blushed. I really had it bad.

"And then what happened after you got home. Did he call or did you call him?" I blushed at her question as I recalled what had really happened.

"No, he said he would call later. So I'm gonna wait until then." I replied with a shrug and kept eating. I was pretending not to care but inside I was dying with anxiety. I couldn't wait for him to call. Time seemed to move slowly.

"Ooh this is so exciting. So what are you gonna wear tonight? Something tight and sexy or..." Olive couldn't shut up you would swear she was the one going on the date. I rolled my eyes and cut her off.

"I'm not gonna look like a hooker you know." She stopped talking and looked at me like I talking in another language.

"What's wrong with that?" She asked innocently. Was she serious? "I'm going dressed like I normally do, he liked me the way I was." I replied and stared at her daring her to say something. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"Fine, if you don't want to get laid." I gulped in surprise. "I'm not looking for a quick fuck Olive." I said in a lowered voice so that others wouldn't hear. "Or anything like that." I said with a blush. She rolled her eyes with a look. I didn't like that look. The damn bitch knew I was lying.

"Oh yeah? Says the one who hasn't seen another guy's dick in months. You need sex, and lots of it. Then you would relax. You're so uptight and you don't know how to let go and just enjoy yourself and have fun. I want you to be happy. If Michael can do that I'll be happy." She said with a serious face. I know she was worried about me. I've been lonely for a while now and I really needed to get a life.

"I will try to have fun Olive, I promise." I assured her with a smile. Truth was I didn't know how to let loose and enjoy myself. I was always guarded and insecure. I was afraid Michael would see that soon and never want to see me again. I got home a few minutes after six o'clock and was just taking off my shoes when my phone rang. My heart quickened when I saw Michael's name on the screen. I took it with a silly smile and shaking hands and answered.

"Hello." I tried to sound casual. "Hey it's Michael. I hope I didn't call at a bad time." His deep voice did things to me and I got hard in an instant. He also sounded nervous on the phone and the thought made me smile.

"It's ok; I just got home from work." I replied. "Good, I was wondering if you were free tonight, I wanted to take you out for dinner." "Umm, I don't have plans tonight, and dinner would be great." I replied as I walked to the bedroom.

"Cool, so can I come get you in say, an hour?" he asked. "Sure I'll send you my address." I replied.

"Ok, see you in a bit." He said and hung up. I fell on my bed with a smile on my face and closed my eyes. I couldn't believe Michael was taking me out on a date. I quickly got up and ran to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes and a jack off later I was standing and staring in my closet wondering what I was going to wear. I didn't want to look too sexy or boring and I was driving myself crazy trying on almost every clothing I had.

I finally decided on a dark blue shirt and some jeans. Just as I was buttoning up my phone rang and it was Michael again. He told me he was waiting for me outside and I told him I was coming. I practically ran to get to him. When I opened the building door I saw him leaning against a black BMW sports car. Wow, the man had great taste. When he saw me approaching he straightened up and smiled at me. He looked hot in dark jeans and a navy V-neck polo shirt. He looked so sexy.

"You look great." He said with a wink and I blushed.

"Thanks, you don't look bad yourself." I replied with a smile. He opened the car door for me and I got in. It was even more beautiful in the inside. It was so comfortable and I could smell the expensive leather. I didn't know a lot about cars but I knew it must have cost a fortune. He got in and looked at me.

"You ready to go?" He asked and I nodded with a small yes. He started the car and we drove off. We arrived ten minutes later at a restaurant in town. It was huge and looked classy. A tall beautiful woman greeted us at the door and walked us to our table. I was glad it was in a private and secluded area. Only one couple sat across from us. We had red wine and chatted for a bit while we waited for our dinner to arrive.

Dinner was wonderful. We had sticky fig lamb cutlets with bean and couscous salad. I had never tasted anything like it before, and it was divine. We talked about work and hobbies. I was surprised when he confessed that he loved to cook. It certainly didn't suit him. He looked more like a model out of a catalogue magazine than a cook. I told him that I was a lousy cook and he laughed and offered to teach me sometime.

He also made me laugh. I was so relaxed and enjoying myself. For desert we had coffee and passion cake. I moaned until the last bite. I also didn't miss the hungry look Michael threw my way either. We left the restaurant and drove around town for a while and just talked. A few hours later we arrived at my flat and he offered to walk me to my apartment. When we arrived at the door I stopped and turned to face him only to find him looking at me.

"I had a really great time tonight Michael." He took my hands in his. "Me too. I hope it's the first of many." He said with a nervous chuckle and I smiled.

"I hope so too." I replied. He had a serious look on his face and came closer to me. "I really like you Shaun and I can see that you feel the same way about me too. We have something special going between us and maybe I maybe a bit forward but...I would really like us to try and see where it goes." I was so happy that he had said those words and a little shocked too. I wanted him to really mean them.

"I'm willing to try too." I replied. He smiled happily and held my face in his hands. I couldn't think straight when he did that.

"You have no idea how happy you just made me. I'm glad you're willing to give us a try." He said. I took a deep breath and tried to explain.

"Michael I don't want to rush things. Were still trying to get to know each other and I think we can be great together. So can we take things slow and just enjoy being around each other first?" I asked. God knows how much I wanted to have sex with him. But I wanted this to be about more than sex.

"Ok, I won't to pressure you into anything you're not ready for. And I will wait until you're ready for more. Just as long as I get to be with you...but I just want to ask you one thing though." He said.

"What is it?" I asked with confusion.

"Can I kiss you?" I stared open mouthed for a few seconds trying to process what he had asked and recovered quickly. There was no way I was going to deny his gorgeous lips on mine. "Yes." I replied with a whisper. He closed the distance between us and claimed my lips with his. There was no tongue involved, but it felt so damn good. I couldn't wait to taste him. He groaned and tore his lips away from me and whispered harshly.

"Open your mouth and let me kiss you properly Shaun. I want to taste all of you." It was more like a command and I it drove me crazy and I found myself opening up to him. We crashed our lips together into a passionate and hot kiss. He tasted like coffee and cake, and something sweet I just wanted to devour him to get to that taste. He wrapped his arms around my waist as I wound mine around his neck. His hard on brushed against mine and I moved my lips away from him moaned out loud. His eyes were dark with lust and I found myself grabbing him for another hot passionate kiss. I tasted every inch of him with my tongue.

His lips to my chin and neck and licked and sucked there and I whimpered like a horny little teenager when he discovered sensitive places I never knew existed. He was driving me insane and we were soon both groaning and grinding against each other. I was so close to coming and I could feel myself losing control. He was just so hot and sexy. With a loud groan he pulled away from me and moved backwards until his back touched the wall on the other side. We stared at each other as we tried to catch our breath. My eyes moved to the large tent on his pants and I licked my lips. God it looked huge and my mouth watered.

"If you keep staring at me like that Shaun I won't be able to control myself." My eyes snapped to his and I saw hunger in them. I blushed and looked away. He came closer and kissed me on the lips. It was gentle and soft, and toe curling. He stopped and looked at me for a second before speaking.